176 THE CHOBE. Chap. VIII. 



by a hippopotamus. Eager as soon as we reached the island to 

 look along the vista to clear water, I stepped in and found it took 

 me at once up to the neck. 



Returning nearly worn out, we proceeded up the bank of the 

 Chobe, till we came to the point of departure of the branch 

 Sanshureh ; we then went in the opposite direction, or down the 

 Chobe, though from the lnghest trees we could see nothing but one 

 vast expanse of reed, with here and there a tree on the islands. This 

 was a hard day's work ; and when we came to a deserted Bayeiye 

 hut on an antliill, not a bit of Avood or anything else could be got 

 for a fire, except the grass and sticks of the dwelling itself. I 

 dreaded the " Tampans," so common in all old huts ; but outside 

 of it we had thousands of mosquitoes, and cold dew began to be 

 deposited, so we were fain to crawl beneath its shelter. 



We were close to the reeds, and could listen to the strange 

 sounds which are often heard there. By day I had seen water- 

 snakes putting up their heads and swimming about. There were 

 great numbers of otters (Lutra inunguis, F. Cuvier), which have 

 made little spoors all over the plains in search of the fishes, 

 among the tall grass of these flooded prairies ; curious birds, too, 

 jerked and wriggled among these reedy masses, and we heard 

 human-like voices and unearthly sounds, with splash, guggle, jupp, 

 as if rare fun were going on in their uncouth haunts. At one time 

 something came near us, making a splashing like that of a canoe 

 or hippopotamus : thinking it to be the Makololo, we got up, 

 listened, and shouted ; then discharged a gun several times ; but 

 the noise continued without intermission for an hour. After a 

 damp cold night we set to, early in the morning, at our work of 

 exploring again, but left the pontoon in order to lighten our 

 labour. The anthills are here very high, some thirty feet, and 

 of a base so broad that trees grow on them ; while the lands, 

 annually flooded, bear notlnng but grass. From one of these ant- 

 lulls we discovered an inlet to the Chobe ; and, having gone back 

 for the pontoon, we launched ourselves on a deep river, here from 

 eighty to one hundred yards wide. I gave my companion strict 

 injunctions to stick by the pontoon in case a hippopotamus should 

 look at us ; nor was this caution unnecessary, for one came up at 

 our side and made a desperate plunge off. We had passed over 

 him. The wave he made caused the pontoon to glide quickly 

 away from him. 



